Built on “The Christ”

Rev. Kenneth Redmann
Aug 23 — 13PentAG

What does it mean to build our faith on Jesus Christ?

In Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples a question that reaches far beyond the moment: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers with the foundational confession of the Christian faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In this week’s message, Rev. Kenneth Redmann reminds us that the Church is not built upon a person, an institution, or human wisdom. It is built upon Jesus Christ and the saving Word of God.

As a conservative church in Tampa, Zion Lutheran Church holds firmly to the truth of Scripture and the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And as a family-friendly church in Tampa, we welcome you to grow with us in faith as we hear the Word, receive His gifts, and encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

May the meditations of our hearts and the words of my lips be acceptable to You, O, Lord. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Beloved in the Lord, believe it or not, by this time in our readings according to St. Matthew, the disciples have been with Jesus for over TWO years. From the very start of His ministry, it has been the Lord’s desire that these disciples, these hand-selected twelve, would come to know who Jesus is and understand fully His divine mission.

It was a challenge. It was then and it is today—a journey. There were times when the disciples seemed to “get” who Jesus was.

• Early on, Nathanael declared Jesus the Son of God, simply on the basis of Jesus telling him that He had seen him “sitting under the fig tree” from a long way off (Jn 1:49).
• After Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine at the wedding, the Bible records that His “disciples believed in Him” (Jn 2:11).
• And seeing other miracles, such as the calming of the sea and Jesus walking on water, the disciples worshiped Him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Mt 14:33).

But today’s account is significant. Today, for the first time, a human being declared Jesus to be The Christ. It came when Jesus asked the personal question: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15). We heard the bold confession. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

What was true for Peter and the disciples is also true for you and for me and for all believers of every age!

The True and Foundational Confession of the Church Is That Jesus Is the Christ.

Jesus and the disciples have traveled to the very limits of what had been the land of Canaan. Jesus came alone with His disciples. Here He would reveal to them that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God.

The region was populated by Gentiles. Idol worship dominated. Nearby, the town of Paneas was dedicated to the worship of idols, particularly to the Greek god Pan. The land was a rocky place with caves. Along with the worship of dead idols—this place was spiritually foreboding.

Jesus was concluding His Galilean ministry. The people who heard Him speak and saw His miracles had wondered and marveled.

Undoubtedly, the disciples knew what was being said about their teacher, Jesus. So, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16.13). Jesus uses His own name for himself, Son of Man, because He intends to tell them about His passion—about His pending suffering and death.

The answers the disciples reported were not necessarily bad or insulting. For example, Herod had not seen Jesus, YET, he thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised back from the dead. Elijah and Jeremiah are not bad answers. The people thought of Jesus as in the line of the prophets of the Old Testament. Also, just FYI, there are hints of the passion in these who are named: Elijah and Jeremiah certainly had suffered. John the Baptist was beheaded.

The question was, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16.13).

Today, many people think of Jesus as

• some important religious figure
• or as a kind of guru or teacher
• or as an example.

But that’s not enough! He is The Christ. At his birth, the angels told the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day . . . Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11). Jesus must be acknowledged and confessed to be the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God. The disciples needed to know. The mission could not move forward unless they confessed Jesus as The Christ. We need to know it and confess it if we are to be saved.

Jesus asks His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16.15). All along He was leading up to this question. Jesus wants to know what they think.

Peter boldly replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16.16). Theologians generally agree that Peter here speaks for all the disciples.

Now, we know Peter’s reputation as being somewhat impulsive—maybe a little reckless. It was Peter who told Jesus “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Mt 14:28). During Jesus’ passion, Peter refuses to have Jesus wash his feet, but then tells Jesus to wash all of him. Later, Peter says he will never deny Jesus. Sadly, we know how that turns out. At the high priest’s palace, Peter vehemently denies three times that he ever knew Jesus.

Beloved in the Lord, there is a bit of Peter in all of us. Thankfully, our Savior is patient with us and invites us to repent and say we love Him.

The Bible tells us that no one is able to say, “Jesus is Lord”, except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3). Jesus tells Peter that his confession, comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 16.17).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the revelation of Scripture. The prophets and apostles speak to us through the Bible. These Words of Jesus, of course, are in perfect keeping with the Words Peter later will write. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Peter teaches us, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:21).

Martin Luther, in the explanation of the Third Article, begins by saying, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel.”

There are many Christians who find this hard to accept because, by nature,

• we want to do something for,
• have a part in,
• or take some of the credit for our salvation.

But we can’t! The Holy Spirit MUST and DOES: do it all for those who believe. The Bible says that “faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Rom 10.17). Therefore, by the preached Word and the Word that permeates in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, we have forgiveness and faith in Jesus. By His power, we are able to confess that Jesus is the Son of the living God.

This confession, that Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, is The Christ, is the foundation upon which the true Church is built. St. Paul tells us that the Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph 2:20). It is in the Word of Christ that we are rooted and established (Cf. Col 2:6–7).

Jesus responds to Peter’s confession by calling him by his name and reminding him that his name means “rock.” Peter, as we have noted, speaks for himself and the apostles. The confession he makes is rock solid. The Church is not founded on any person EXCEPT Jesus Christ. By this confession that Jesus is the Christ, and by the witness and testimony of the apostles, Jesus builds His Church—His Bride.

Jesus also promises that He will later give the keys to heaven to the Church. And He did! When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, Jesus, “said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld’ ” (Jn 20:21–23). These keys we have received; they are the preaching of the Gospel and the proclamation of forgiveness to all who repent. They open up heaven to repentant sinners, and they bind the unrepentant.

Dear Christians, I need to say, that Hell, too, is locked, but in another way. The grave threatens with death and would hold all who enter it. But its gates cannot hold those who are Christ’s. Hear the Word of the Lord, “All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death[.] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3–4).

By Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection three days later, Christ has freed us from death and the grave. The saying is true, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55).

And finally, this: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, make no mistake! The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh threaten us constantly. They would have us give up and despair. But I say to you, do not despair!

In our prayers this morning we will pray for you—by name. We will pray for our dear church—Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. We pray that our gracious God, who knows our every need, will come quickly to grant us precisely what He knows we need to benefit His Kingdom on earth and in heaven.

That is why the Son of Man has come into the world. Only the God-man, Jesus, The Christ, is the true Savior of the world.

Just as Jesus gathered His first disciples and showed them the way, He also calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies us by His Spirit. He washes, feeds, helps us through life. Flesh and blood have not revealed this to us, but by the ministry of the Gospel we are His and live under Him in His kingdom. God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8.35, 37).

You Are Invited to Worship With Us

The question Jesus asked His disciples is still the most important question we can answer: “But who do you say that I am?”

He is The Christ.

He is the Son of the living God. He is our Savior. And our hope is not found in ourselves, but in Him.

If you are looking for a conservative church in Tampa where the Word of God is faithfully taught and Christ remains at the center, we invite you to join us at Zion Lutheran Church. Whether you are searching for a church home, returning to worship, or simply want to hear God’s Word, you are welcome here.

We invite you to worship with us this Sunday:

Sunday Divine Service at 8:00 am
Bible Study at 9:15 am
Bible Study at 7:00 PM Mondays

Before joining us next Sunday, be sure to download the worship folder so you can follow along with the service and prepare your heart for worship.

We look forward to gathering together as God’s people, hearing His Word, receiving His gifts, and encouraging one another in the faith.

Zion Lutheran Church — A Christian Family Who Cares for You!